“James Bond” buys a BMW i8

Former 007 Agent, Pierce Brosnan, takes the delivery of his new BMW i8. The former James Bond actor can be seen in the photos below …

Former 007 Agent, Pierce Brosnan, takes the delivery of his new BMW i8. The former James Bond actor can be seen in the photos below as the California-based Alexander BMW delivers Brosnan’s car at this beach-front house. Pierce’s choice of car emulates the expensive tastes of James Bond while reminding us that he was the first and last Bond to drive a remote controlled BMW 7 Series in Tomorrow Never Dies. The Irish actor played James Bond four times between 1995 and 2002.

The Bonds are known lately for their taste for Aston Martin cars, but the i8 is just as competent and…cool.

BMW i8 uses a plug-in hybrid system consisting of a turbocharged three-cylinder BMW TwinPower Turbo petrol engine and BMW eDrive technology in the form of an electric drive system.

The 1.5-liter combustion engine develops 170 kW/231 hp and drives the rear wheels of the BMW i8, while the 96 kW/131 hp electric drive sends its power to the front wheels and allows an all-electric range of up to 35 kilometers (22 miles) and a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph).

In the U.S., the base price for the 2015 BMW i8 is $136,500 without the $950 Destination & Handling fee. The hybrid sportscar is offered with four packages, called “World” by BMW: Giga ($2,000), Tera ($3,000), Purse Impulse ($10,800) and Mega (standard). Four exterior colors are offered, Protonic Blue, Sophisto Grey, Ionic Silver and Crystal White.

This year, the U.S. market will get over 1,000 i8 cars, an increase of 50 percent over previous year. Last year, BMW sold 555 i8 cars to U.S. customers.